Egg-tester



(Model.)

J. A. SHEFFIELD.

EGG TESTER.

Patented Oct. 31, 188.2.

N. PETERS. Phoza-Lilhognphor. wn-hingm", uc,

UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

JAMES A. SHEFFIELD, OF BOAZ, WISCONSIN.

EGG-TESTER.

SPECEFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 266,728, dated October 31, 1882.

Application filed June 10, 1882.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that l," JAMES A. SHEFFIELD, ot Boaz, in the county7 ot' Richland and State of Visconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Egg-Testers; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ot' this specification.

The nature of this invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the construction of that class of devices ordinarily denominated egg-testers.77

The object of the invention is to provide a device Vfor the purpose which will enable the dealer to positively separate the had from the good eggs, and which will register the number of eggs inspected.

The invention consists in the peculiar coustruction, arrangement, and various combinations ot' the parts, all as more fully hereinafter set forth.

Figure l is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a vertical section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a suitable case or box, in the upper portion of which is foi-med the chamber B by the inclined partition a and the vertical partition l). The portion A ot' the case A, which covers this chamber B, is severed from the main case, as shown, andishinged thereto at thetop, thus admitting ot' easy access to the chamber for the purpose of placing the eggs to be inl spected in the holes in the inclined partition a..

In the top of this hinged portion A of thecase A, I place a slide, C, in which Iinsert a glass, c, through which a view can be had into the chamber B. Immediately under this chamber I secure a retlector, I), which reliects the light from the lamp E up against the bottom ofthe, partition a, making it very lightbelowthe eggs, wh'ile the chamber B is very dark. rlhe lamp E is secured upon a slide, F, arranged in the bottom of the case A, and which is provided with a slide-door, G, for closing` the opening in the wall of the case through which the lamp is introduced.

Properlyjournaled to the side ofthe case Ais a ratchet-wheel, H, which is actuated byaspringarm, l, secured to the hinged case A', and is prevented from havingaretrogrademovement by the springl'iawlor dog J. Below this ratchet- (Model.)

wheel there is properly journaled the disk K, which has a series of equidistant studs, d, pro jecting from its face. At every rotation of the ratchet-wheel II a tappet, L, secured toits face, acts upon one ot the studs of the disk K, cans ing it to move the distance of one stud.

In practice, iirst supposing that the partition a is provided with six holes for receiving eggs, and that the lamp is lighted, the case A is raised and the eggs placed 1n the holes in the partition c, and then the case is closed. rlhis causes the spring-arm I to move the ratchetwheel one notch, registering thereby one-half dozen. By looking' through the glass c in the slide C the condition ofthe eggs can readily be seen, and it' any are found defective or bad they are removed through the slide andothers pnt in their place. lf they are all good, the case A is again opened, the eggs removed, and others put in, when, upon closing the case, the ratchet registers the second half-dozen, and so on until theratchet-wheel has made an entire revolution, when the tappet L colnes in contact with one of 'the studs d ot' the disk K, causing the latter to move the distance of one stud and register thereby the whole number of dozens previously registered in half-dozensby the ratchetwheel.

By this construction and arrangement of parts I am enabled to separate the good eggs from the bad ones and keep a correct count thereof, without the risk of making mistakes in the counting.

I am aware of English Patent No. ll of 1868, in which the light from the lamp passes through the and is viewed from a retlector, and such construction is not sought to be covered in this application.

What l claim as new is- The eggtester herein described, having the removable lamp-frame and lamp, the dishing reflector arranged in front ot' and adjacent thereto when the lamp is in position to reflect the rays of light upon the convex surfaces of the eggs, the perforated plate c, and the hinged portion C, having the inspecting-aperture c, the whole constructed, combined, arranged, and adapted to serve as set forth.

JAMESA. SIIEFFIELD. Vitnesscs:

S. A. KEPLER, R. L. BARNES. 

